The present invention relates to a connector assembly including a plug connector and a receptacle connector, and more particularly to a connector assembly including a receptacle connector mounted on a substrate and a plug connector matable and unmatable with the receptacle connector on a plane parallel to the substrate.
This type of connector assembly is disclosed in FIGS. 8 to 11 of JP-A 2005-267977 (Prior Art 1), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. A plug connector of the connector assembly of Prior Art 1 has an operation member attached to rear ends on opposite sides of the plug connector in a longitudinal direction. When the operation member is pulled rearward, a locking state of lock portions of the plug connector is released.
FIGS. 1 to 5 of JP-A 2005-267977 disclose a connector assembly having a lock mechanism using a metal operation member (pull bar) (Prior Art 2). Furthermore, another connector assembly having a similar lock mechanism is also disclosed in JP-A 2008-112700 (Prior Art 3). In those connector assemblies having a lock mechanism using a metal operation member as in Prior Art 2 and Prior Art 3, a plug connector is mated with and removed from a receptacle connector in a direction perpendicular to a substrate.
In the connector assembly of Prior Art 1, the mating state of the plug connector with the receptacle connector may be unlocked when cables held in the plug connector are urged.